Realization
by Celestical
Summary: And she realized too late what everyone else had known long ago, everyone but the person who mattered most. And just when she gave up hope, it's his turn to realize. Rui x Tsukushi One-shot.


_**A/N** So it has been a **ridiculously**_ _long time since I last posted something. Hopefully this makes up for it. I came across some Rui x Tsukushi MVs on Youtube and it happened to get my brain going on how I really, really wish that Tsukushi had ended up with Rui instead of Tsukasa. I have nothing against Tsukasa, but I like quiet, silent guys :) I hope everyone enjoys and I'm currently working on a second story to post soon._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Note: The story is based off the Japanese Drama. For those that don't know, Eitoku is the school the F4 and Tsukushi attend.**

**

* * *

**

Sometimes she wondered why she never noticed it before. The beating of her heart getting louder, the feeling of her pulse speeding up, and the shortness of breath. It was all so obvious. Hadn't she and Yuki spent countless afternoons giggling-well Yuki at least- over the signs? She must really be blind to have missed it. _Well missed it so recently,_ she amended. When the signs first appeared she had acknowledged it. And then...then she had gotten distracted and thought she was in love with someone else.

She was so _stupid._ Didn't they say a girl never forgot her first love? And was that not him? Not a crush, not a passing feeling, but an actual love? And she had happily ignored it in favour of his friend. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

And now it was too late. He had already flown off to France chase the girl he loved. Why oh why did she give him that advice? Why dig your own grave? _Because you love him, _she reminded herself, _and loving him means making sure he's happy, regardless of what you want...and you were chasing Tsukasa at the time, remember? _

She leaned against the railing and let out a sigh. Sometimes she wished she was more selfish-_or less of a coward-_ at least then she would have held onto him and told him to stay-_with me._ Her head dropped as she thought of all that she had been through. Breaking up with Tsukasa had not been easy, especially when he found out just who he had lost too. But it's for the best, or so she told herself.

He had come around a few days-_and a lot of arguments-_ later. At the very least it was to him, he had told her. If it had been anyone else, it would have been impossible, but it being him made it a lot easier. _And he had always known, had seen what I didn't. That I never got over him._ It was sad when someone as dense as Tsukasa could see the signs that she missed.

She kicked the railing, frustrated that she was even thinking this. Had she not spent the majority of last night convincing herself that it wasn't worth it to even dwell on the past? And had she not vowed that she would end this and wish him happiness when he came back. She kicked the railing again just for good measure.

"You're going to break it," a voice drawled out behind her. She froze in disbelief. There was no way it could be...but the sudden thumping of her heart, the rush of her pulse and the sudden shortness of her breath said otherwise. She only reacted like that to one person..."Rui," she said in shock.

"Yo," he said in casual greeting, coming to lean against the railing beside her.

"What...what..."

"What am I doing here?" She could only nod dumbly while she gazed at him, attempting to memorize every detail while she still could.

"I came to a realization while in France," he said looking out over the vast expanse that was Eitoku. "I realized that I was being stupid chasing after something-someone- that I could never have."

She deflated a bit. So he had only come back because he had seen it as hopeless. And somewhere deep in her heart, in a place where she wouldn't admit it, she wished that he had come back for another reason, _for me_.

"That-" and here he turned to face her-"and I realized that what I wanted was here all along."

She looked up in shock, while her already beating heart started going faster-_is that even possible?_ He grinned down before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead, reminiscent of the one he gave her at the airport. "I never got to say thank you so I'll say it now. Thanks, for not only pushing me to chase after Shizuka but also for helping to stop me from making the biggest mistake of my life. Giving up you." And this time, he pulled her into a hug.

She could only hug him in return, while inside she cried with joy. And when she pulled back, she could only smile.


End file.
